Former BBC DJ Tim Westwood arrives at court to face rape charges
Former Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood has been released on conditional bail after appearing in court on allegations that he raped and sexually assaulted seven different women.
The alleged offenses are said to have occurred between 1983 and 2016 and involved young women as young as 17, including three indecent assaults at BBC studios in the 1990s.
The 68-year-old man appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with four counts of rape, nine counts of indecent assault and two charges of sexual assault.
He appeared on the dock wearing a dark gray shirt and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
The former BBC DJ, who returned to the UK from Nigeria last week, was not required to defend himself against any charges.
The court heard he had attended five voluntary police interviews since the investigation into the alleged offenses began.
The Metropolitan Police had previously said Westwood was alleged to have indecently assaulted a 17-year-old girl in Fulham, London, in 1983.
He is also accused of indecently assaulting a woman in her 20s in Vauxhall, London, in 1986, and of raping and indecently assaulting a woman aged 17 to 18 in London between 1995 and 1996.
Westwood, of Westminster, is alleged to have raped and indecently assaulted a woman aged 17 to 18 between 2000 and 2001, and raped a woman in her 20s in 2010; The alleged crimes were also reportedly committed in London.
He is also accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her 20s in Stroud, Gloucestershire, in 2010, and of sexually assaulting another woman in her 20s in Finchley, London, in 2016.
Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said: “It takes courage to come forward and report such allegations.
“The women who did this trusted us and we continue to provide them with every support possible.
“Our investigation is open and we encourage anyone affected by this case or anyone with information to come forward and speak to us.”
The BBC Board previously apologized following a review which found the company had “failed to take adequate action” after learning of concerns about the hip hop DJ’s alleged behaviour.
In response to the historical sexual abuse allegations, Westwood previously said he “strongly denies all allegations of inappropriate conduct.”
He left his show on Capital Xtra in April 2022 and left Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra in 2013 after nearly 20 years at the BBC.
He also presented the MTV UK car makeover show Pimp My Ride UK, which ran for three seasons from 2005 to 2007.
Chief Justice Paul Goldspring granted Westwood bail on the condition that he not contact prosecution witnesses.
He will next appear at Southwark Crown Court on December 8.
